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Abstract:

To prevent entrance of swarf or cutting oil from a workpiece recovery
opening, in a workpiece recovery unit, a cover 21 which covers an upper
side and a lateral side of a workpiece recovery opening 19 opening in an
upper side of a workpiece recovery section 18 disposed lateral to a
holder 13 which holds a processed workpiece 1', a workpiece transport
path 23 from an entrance 22 opening in a lower side provided in the cover
21 to the recovery opening 19 is formed in a step-like shape, the holder
13 is supported so as to be movable in an up-and-down direction and a
right-and-left direction, the workpiece 1' is moved along the transport
path 23 by the holder 13, and is transported to the upper side of the
recovery opening 19 from the entrance 22 so as to be recovered in the
recovery opening 19.

Claims:

1. A workpiece recovery unit, comprising: a holder which holds a
processed workpiece; and a workpiece recovery section disposed lateral to
the holder; wherein the recovery section includes a workpiece recovery
opening, which opens in an upper side thereof, the holder is provided so
as to be movable toward the recovery section, the workpiece is
transported to the recovery section so as to be recovered through the
recovery opening, the recovery section is provided with a cover which
covers the upper side and a lateral side of the recovery opening, the
cover is provided with an entrance which opens downwardly, a workpiece
transport path from the entrance to the recovery opening is formed in a
step-like shape, the holder is supported so as to be movable in an
up-and-down direction and a right-and-left direction so as to be moved
along the transport path, and the workpiece is transported to the upper
side of the recovery opening from the entrance by the holder so as to be
recovered in the recovery opening.

2. The workpiece recovery unit according to claim 1, wherein the holder
comprises a spindle of a machine tool.

3. The workpiece recovery unit according to claim 2, wherein the machine
tool includes two spindles which are opposed to each other to transfer
the workpiece, the holder comprises one of the spindles, and the recovery
section is provided such that the recovery opening is disposed in a
position higher than that of a shaft center of the two spindles when
transferring the workpiece.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece recovery unit.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] A workpiece recovery unit including a holder, which holds a
processed workpiece, and a recovery section for a material, which is
disposed laterally to the holder, is conventionally known (refer to
Patent Document 1, for example). In such a workpiece recovery unit, the
holder is provided so as to be movable toward the recovery section, the
workpiece is transported to the recovery section by the movement of the
holder, and the processed workpiece is recovered in the recovery section.

RELATED ART DOCUMENT

Patent Document

[0003] Patent Document 1: JP 2000-126972A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

[0004] However, such a workpiece recovery unit has a problem in that swarf
or cutting oil while processing a workpiece easily enters the recovery
section because the recovery section has an opening in the upper side
thereof, and the workpiece is recovered in the recovery section through
the opening.

Solution to Problem

[0005] To solve the above problem, first, a workpiece recovery unit of the
present invention includes a holder which holds a processed workpiece,
and a workpiece recovery section disposed lateral to the holder; wherein
the recovery section includes a workpiece recovery opening which opens in
an upper side thereof, the holder is provided so as to be movable toward
the recovery section, the workpiece is transported to the recovery
section to be recovered through the recovery opening, the recovery
section is provided with a cover which covers the upper side and a
lateral side of the recovery opening, the cover is provided with an
entrance which opens downwardly, a workpiece transport path from the
entrance to the recovery opening is formed in a step-like shape, the
holder is supported so as to be movable in an up-and-down direction and a
right-and-left direction to be moved along the transport path, and the
workpiece is transported to the upper side of the recovery opening from
the entrance by the holder to be recovered in the recovery opening.

[0006] Second, the holder comprises a spindle of a machine tool.

[0007] Third, the machine tool includes two spindles which are opposed to
each other to transfer the workpiece, the holder comprises one of the
spindles, and the recovery section is provided such that the recovery
opening is disposed in a position higher than that of a shaft center of
the two spindles when transferring the workpiece.

Effect of Invention

[0008] According to the workpiece recovery unit of the present invention
as described above, the entrance of swarf, cutting oil or the like in the
recovery opening from the upper side and the lateral side can be
prevented by the cover. Thus, the processed workpiece can be stably
transported by the holder, and can be recovered.

[0009] In addition, since the holder is made of the spindle of the machine
tool, it becomes unnecessary to further provide another holder.
Specifically, since the gripper is made of one of the two spindles which
are opposed to each other to transfer the workpiece, and the recovery
section is provided such that the recovery opening is disposed in a
position higher than that of the shaft center of both spindles when
transferring the workpiece, the entrance of swarf, cutting oil or the
like while processing a workpiece can be effectively prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of an automatic lathe
including a workpiece recovery unit of the present invention.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a front view of the substantial part of the automatic
lathe including the workpiece recovery unit of the present invention.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the substantial part of the automatic
lathe in which a processed workpiece is received in a workpiece recovery
basket from a front spindle.

[0013]FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the substantial part of the
automatic lathe in which the processed workpiece is transported above a
chute.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

[0014] One embodiment of a workpiece recovery unit of the present
invention will be described with reference to an example of an automatic
lathe, which is a machine tool including the workpiece recovery unit of
the present invention.

[0015] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the automatic lathe includes a front
spindle 2 which detachably grips a workpiece 1. The front spindle 2 is
supported so as to be rotatable about a shaft center and slidable in the
axis line direction (Z-axis direction). A guide bush 3 through which the
workpiece 1 gripped by the front spindle 2 is inserted is disposed in
front of the front spindle 2.

[0016] The guide bush 3 is mounted on a guide bush support base 4, and
guides the workpiece 1 so as to be rotatable and slidable along the
Z-axis direction. The guide bush support base 4 is fastened on a bed of
the automatic lathe. An X slide rail 6 extending along the X-axis
direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction in the right-and-left
direction is provided in front of the guide bush 3 on the bed. An X slide
base 7 is mounted on the X slide rail 6 so as to be slidable along the
X-axis direction.

[0017] A Z slide rail 8 extending along the Z-axis direction is provided
in the X slide base 7 side. A Z slide base 9 is mounted on the Z slide
rail 8 so as to be slidable along the Z-axis direction.

[0018] A Y slide rail 11 extending along the Y-axis direction (refer to
FIG. 2) orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction in
the up-and-down direction is provided in the Z slide base 9 side. A
support base 12 is mounted on the Y slide rail 11 so as to be slidable
along the Y-axis direction.

[0019] A back spindle 13 is supported by the support base 12 so as to be
rotatable about the shaft center, and opposed to the front spindle 2. The
back spindle 13 is configured to grip the workpiece 1 in a detachable
manner.

[0020] The support base 12 is provided with a front processing tool 14
which processes the workpiece 1 gripped by the front spindle 2. The
support base 12 is located in the lateral position of the back spindle
13. In this embodiment, the front processing tool 14 is a tool line in
which a plurality of tools are disposed along the X-axis direction, and a
plurality of tool lines are arranged along the Y-axis direction.

[0021] Each of the front processing tools 14 and the back spindle 13
integrally slide along the X-axis direction, Z-axis direction and Y-axis
direction with the above configuration.

[0022] A back tool post 16 is fastened on the bed side in the lateral
position of the guide bush 3. A back processing tool 17 which processes
the workpiece 1 gripped by the back spindle 13 is attached to the back
tool post 16.

[0023] In this embodiment, the back tool post 16 is configured such that a
plurality of back processing tools 17 is disposed along the X-axis
direction as a tool line, and a plurality of tool lines is arranged along
the Y-axis direction.

[0024] The automatic lathe is configured to select a predetermined front
processing tool 14 by the movement of the support base 12 along the
Y-axis direction and the movement of the X slide base 7 along the X-axis
direction, and process a part of the workpiece 1 projected from the guide
bush 3, which is gripped by the front spindle 2, by the selected front
processing tool 14. The workpiece 1 can be transferred between the front
spindle 2 and the back spindle 13 by moving the support base 12 such that
the front spindle 2 and the back spindle 13 are concentrically disposed.

[0025] By transferring the workpiece 1, the processed workpiece 1 gripped
by the front spindle 2 can be delivered to the back spindle 13. A
predetermined back processing tool 17 is selected by the movement of the
support base 12 along the Y-axis direction and the movement of the X
slide base 7 along the X-axis direction, and the workpiece 1 gripped by
the back spindle 13 can be processed with the selected back processing
tool 17 by the movement of the support base 12. For example, the
processed workpiece 1' gripped by the front spindle 2 can be gripped by
the back spindle 13 so as to be further processed.

[0026] However, in the present embodiment, a workpiece recovery basket 15
which receives the workpiece 1' processed by the front spindle 2 is
integrally fastened to the back spindle 13, so that the workpiece 1' is
not processed by the back spindle 13.

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the back spindle 13 is brought close to
the front spindle 2 so as to be concentric with the front spindle 2, and
the processed workpiece 1' obtained by cutting the workpiece 1 is
received in the workpiece recovery basket 15 so as to be held in the back
spindle 13.

[0028] A chute 18 which recovers the processed workpiece 1' held in the
back spindle 13 is provided lateral to the back processing tool 17. The
chute 18 is fastened to the back tool post 16. The chute 18 can be easily
mounted by removing a part of the back processing tool 17 from the back
tool post 16, and using the mounted portion of the back processing tool
17 of the back tool post 16.

[0029] The chute 18 is formed in a box shape having in the upper side
thereof an opening, and the opening constitutes a recovery opening 19. By
dropping the workpiece 1' in the recovery opening 19, the workpiece 1'
can be recovered in the chute 18. The chute 18 is disposed such that the
recovery opening 19 is located in a position higher than that of the
shaft center when transferring the workpiece 1 between the back spindle
13 and the front spindle 2.

[0030] A cover 21 which covers the upper side and the lateral side of the
recovery opening 19 is fastened to the chute 18. A part of the lateral
side of the cover 21, which is opposed to the back spindle 13, opens to
allow at least the passage of the workpiece recovery basket 15 as the
after-described transport path 23.

[0031] A lateral portion 21a of the cover 21 on the back spindle 13 side
extends to the neighborhood of the back processing tool 17 toward the
guide bush 3 through the area over the recovery opening 19, and the
leading end portion of the extended portion inclines oblique downward. An
entrance 22, which is divided by the leading end portion and the upper
edge of the chute 18 and opens downward, is formed.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the entrance 22 is formed in the oblique
downward direction. The transport path 23 for transporting the processed
workpiece 1' is formed from the entrance 22 to the upper side position of
the recovery opening 19.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the transport path 23 includes an
oblique upward straight inclination path 23a from the end of the entrance
22 to the lateral side of the recovery opening 19 and an approximate
horizontal path 23b from the end of the inclination path 23a to the upper
side of the recovery opening 19. The transport path 23 is formed in a
step-like path from the entrance 22 to the upper side position of the
recovery opening 19 to have a space which allows at least the passage of
the workpiece recovery basket 15.

[0034] The height of the shaft center of the front spindle 2 is set so as
to be substantially the same as that of the end of the inclination path
23a. The back spindle 13 moves toward the end of the inclination path 23a
along the approximate horizontal path 25 upon the reception of the
processed workpiece 1' from the front spindle 2.

[0035] As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, after the workpiece recovery basket
15 is moved toward the end of the inclination path 23a along the path 25
by the movement of the support base 12, the back spindle 13 is moved
oblique upward along the inclination path 23a.

[0036] The workpiece recovery basket 15 is introduced in the cover 21
through the entrance 22 in the middle of the inclination path 23a, and is
moved to the upper side of the recovery opening 19 along the horizontal
path 23b, so that the workpiece 1' held in the back spindle 13 can be
transported.

[0037] By rotating the back spindle 13 with the workpiece recovery basket
15 being located above the recovery opening 19, the workpiece 1' housed
in the workpiece recovery basket 15 is dropped in the recovery opening 19
so as to be recovered in the chute 18. In addition, since a part of the
lateral side of the cover 21, which is opposed to the back spindle 13,
opens, the movement of the back spindle 13 cannot be disturbed.

[0038] In the automatic lathe, the workpiece recovery unit includes the
back spindle 13 as a holder which holds the processed workpiece 1' and
the chute 18 as a recovery section.

[0039] In the workpiece recovery unit, the entrance of swarf, cutting oil
or the like in the recovery opening 19 from the upper side and the
lateral side can be prevented by the cover 21. Therefore, the processed
workpiece 1' can be stably transported and recovered by the back spindle
13.

[0040] Since the transport path 23 is a combination of the straight paths,
the cover 21 and the transport path 23 can be simplified, and the
entrance of swarf or cutting oil in the recovery section 18 can be
prevented with a simple configuration.

[0041] Moreover, the processed workpiece 1' can be transported along the
transport path 23 and the path 25, so that the movement stroke along the
Z-axis direction of the support base 12 can be controlled; thus, the
automatic lathe can also be downsized. With the back processing tool 17
located below the entrance 22 being unmounted, the back spindle 13 can be
quickly brought close to the back tool post 16, and the workpiece 1' can
be transported in the chute 18. The movement stroke of the support base
12 along the Z-axis direction can be therefore further reduced.

[0042] In addition, without mounting the work recovery basket 15 in the
back spindle 13, the workpiece processed in the front spindle 2 can be
gripped by the back spindle 13 so as to be transferred, and the processed
workpiece 1' can be transported to the upper side of the recovery opening
19 while gripping the processed workpiece 1' by the back spindle 13 so as
to be recovered in the chute 18. In this case, the workpiece 1' processed
in the front spindle 2 is gripped by the back spindle 13 so as to be
further processed, and the further processed workpiece 1' gripped by the
back spindle 13 can be recovered in the chute 18.

[0043] The transport path 23 can be obtained by the combination of paths
along a vertical line or a circular arc line according to a shape of the
cover 21 or a shape of a structure around the cover 21 in addition to the
combination of the straight inclination path 23a and the approximate
horizontal path 23b.

[0044] The entrance 22 opens in the vertical downward direction. With this
configuration, the transport path can be constituted by the combination
of the horizontal path and the vertical line path. In this case, the
lateral side of the recovery opening 19 can be almost completely covered
by the cover 21. As such, the entrance of scattering swarf, cutting oil
or the like in the recovery opening 19 can be reduced.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0045] The present application is based on and claims priority from
Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-069977, filed on Mar. 28, 2011, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0046] 1' processed workpiece

[0047] 13 back spindle (holder)

[0048] 18
chute (recovery section)

[0049] 19 recovery opening

[0050] 21 cover

[0051] 22 entrance

[0052] 23 transport path

Patent applications by CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

Patent applications by Citizen Machinery Miyano Co., Ltd.

Patent applications in class WITH PART OR TOOL HOLDING RECEPTACLE

Patent applications in all subclasses WITH PART OR TOOL HOLDING RECEPTACLE